Dear Fellow Staff Members,
Thank you. This is the single most important thing that I want to say to each and every one of you. Thank you.
When I first transitioned to working from home alongside my wife, two kids (seven and five years old), and Boston Terrier, I thought it would be an interesting, if not fun and easy change. Over the past couple months, my coworkers, including my fellow staff councilors have gotten to know my kids well as they make frequent cameo appearances in my Zoom meetings as well as Agnes, given the dog’s occasional unexpected leap into my lap for some midday belly rubs. I will say that the commute is quite a bit easier and the travel time between meetings has been nearly nonexistent, but Zoom meetings are exhausting in a way I never would have expected. This, coupled with attempting (emphasis on attempting) to continue the education of two young ones has left me tired and burnt out by mid-afternoon almost every day. I have taken to logging back in after the kids’ bedtime to have some quiet time to get a few things done at the end of the day. But I recognize that many, if not most of our employees continue to come to campus under all of the additional stresses the virus has brought with it. Thousands of employees have been reassigned, had their hours extended or changed, added shifts, taken on additional duties, and done objectively amazing things in the face of the greatest crisis of our lifetimes. All of this while facing the exact same challenges I get to face from my kitchen every day. I have it pretty good, and I remind myself of this every day. Thank you. Thank you, and please tell us your stories, good, bad or other. Email them to staff-council@uiowa.edu. I’d love to read as many as you send us.
I mentioned above that I have it pretty good, but that doesn’t minimize the challenges and stresses that we are all facing. This. Is. Hard. I am sure many of you feel the way I do; I struggle to allow myself to step back and accept how difficult this situation is given how much more difficult others may have it. But it’s ok, and I’m learning to allow myself to take a step back from it all when I can. A colleague from Penn State pointed this phenomenon out on, what else, a Zoom meeting that we had last week with shared governance leadership from across the Big Ten, and it was very impactful. It’s tempting to keep pushing at full throttle, but it’s unsustainable and the burnout is real. This is a marathon, not a sprint. We’ve included a story in this month's newsletter that outlines and links to some of the many resources we have available as UI Staff to help us through this pandemic. My recommendation is to use them! These are fellow staff and faculty members who are there for us, many who I know personally, so I am fully confident in the talent we have on hand. We have outstanding resources and I encourage you all to reach out. Please take care of yourselves, your loved ones, and your colleagues.
And for some great news - Staff Council would like to take the opportunity to recognize our council volunteers. More than ¾ of our councilors volunteered over the course of this past year, logging nearly 500 hours! Our Volunteer of the Year is also announced this month, so please be sure to check out that article too. (This, of course, deserves a big “thank you” as well)
Please know that during this pandemic, Staff Council continues to represent you. We will advocate for our staff’s safety and wellbeing above all else, and continue to work with University administration to face the challenges ahead as our institution plans for its eventual recovery. Please contact your Staff Council representatives (or me) with your thoughts and concerns. We will do the best for each other if we communicate and work together. I can’t wait to see all of your faces in person again.
One more time. Thank You,
-Mike